Happy Birthday
by jade304
Summary: Just some random idea I had lying around. When a celebration is held for Blumiere, Timpani finds a way to crash it.


**A/N: Oh my god, does anyone on this website even remember I exist?**

**Look at me, I actually wrote a fanfic after months and months and possibly years of not writing, so apologies if it sounds a bit odd. Hope you enjoy regardless.**  
**(I don't think this would've actually happened in-canon, but it's still an idea I needed to write.)**

_**I am still in the Super Paper Mario fandom after 3 years, how is that even possible-**_

* * *

Blumiere only mentioned his 19th birthday celebration once in passing, since he didn't think much of it. Every year was a large party thrown for the prince; after nineteen of them, he was completely exhausted.

"I would like nothing more than to spend my birthday here with you," Blumiere told Timpani a few nights before. They had agreed to meet after the party, if it did not drag on very late.

Timpani, however, had made other plans.

The morning of Blumiere's birthday, she went out and bought what she needed. It had been a bit awkward trying to explain her purchases in the middle of January to the owner of the costume shop, but she had got what she needed.

She had worn the dress a while back from a costume party, and thank Grambi it still fit her well. Sitting down in front of the mirror, she pulled the first box out of the bag.

"SUPER STRENGTH SUPER THEATRICAL MAKEUP - GUARANTEED TO LAST THROUGH ANY OCCASION"

She pulled out the pots of blue body paint and discarded the rest.

It had better stay as well as it claimed to.

. . .

Blumiere was sitting in his bedroom, watching people enter the castle. He knew he should be heading downstairs soon, but there was only one person on his mind. He would be seeing Timpani later on tonight, he told himself. He would only have to put up with another boring party until then.

. . .

She blended carefully into the crowd, making sure to stay outside wherever the most people were crowding. She was aware of the whispers and glances thrown her way; who was that strange girl? Yes, that woman standing over there in the corner? Who is she?

She knew all the people at the prince's birthday celebration would be quite important people who probably knew each other. She was the newcomer, an unfamiliar face. Perhaps it would be better if she tried blending. She couldn't blend in with them. She didn't know what they were gosipping about, but from the sound of it, it was definitely not about the prince.

I heard about so and so. Did you hear that blank was with blank? Blank did this.

It almost confused her. From what she heard about them, about all of them, such ordinary conversation seemed quite out of place. Then again, she had learned that what they thought about her and what she did was all nonsense as well.

"Excuse me?"

The girl was brought out of her thoughts by two older women who had come over to her.

"Hello," She responded, giving a slight nod. That was the correct response to give, wasn't it?

The woman who spoke to her gestured towards her companion. "I don't think we've seen you at these social events before. What is your name?"

Oh, damn it. "I'm..." She dug through her head quickly for a name while the woman stared at her. "Rachel," She finally said. _Rachel?_

"Oh, Clairice, don't you have a cousin named Rachel?" The woman asked her friend. Clairice nodded.

"Yes, it's such an interesting name." Clairice's eyes swept over the girl. "It fits such an interesting person."

"Thank you," The girl said, giving a small smile. Clairice grinned.

"Where is your dress from?" She asked.

"Oh, er, it was my mother's," The girl responded. Clairice made a clicking sound with her tongue.

"Well, it looks very lovely on you."

"Clairice, aren't we looking for someone else?" The other woman asked.

"Oh, yes, right," Clairice said. She grasped the girl's arm. "We must be on our way!"

The two scuttled off, and the girl heard them laughing as they left. What a shy little thing! Does she ever go out? No wonder we haven't seen her around, she looked so startled by everything!

The girl quietly left the ballroom. Oh no, oh no, oh no. She seemed more out of place than she thought. Rachel?

How did she get from Timpani to Rachel?

Timpani found herself walking down a hallway, in the opposite direction of the guests returning to the party. She stopped at a door, where a mirror was just outside.

She could hardly recognize the face she saw. Her face was painted entirely blue, along with any skin that showed with the low-cut dress. The dress itself had a low neckline and tight waist. The skirt was long and flowy, and dragged along the floor slightly. The dress had long sleeves, but she still wore gloves over her arms so she would not smear the paint. It had held up very well so far, but she wouldn't want to risk it anyway. Her blonde hair was pinned to her head and covered by a long black wig that reached to the middle of her back. It looked a bit too stiff and shiny to be natural, but it was the best she could do.

She had tried her best to disguise herself as someone from the Tribe of Darkness, and so far she seemed to be pulling it off. Timpani was even beginning to convince herself a bit. The only critical flaw in her costume was her eyes. The women she spoke to before all had bright amber colored eyes, just like Blumiere had. Timpani's were a bright green. That was probably what Clairice had meant by "an interesting person". Otherwise, though, she felt a bit confident in her mask.

She was a bit nervous about being discovered, though. There was always the possibility. She wasn't certain of what would happen if she were caught among the Tribe of Darkness, but she didn't intend to ever find out.

. . .

"Ah, yes, here comes my son now!"

Blumiere grimaced at his father's exclamation.

"19, isn't he, Xavier?" A girl at the king's side asked. Blumiere's father grinned.

"Of course," Xavier said. "Not just any occasion!"

Of course, the last few years were 'not just any occasion' as well, but Blumiere didn't feel like pointing it out was necessary. Xavier waved the others surrounding him away and looked at Blumiere.

"Enjoying yourself?"

"Of course," Blumiere replied.

"You've appeared a bit more distant lately," Xavier commented. "Perhaps this is just what you need to lift your spirits a bit."

"Maybe," Blumiere said. "If you'll excuse me, father-"

"Oh, of course," Xavier laughed. "It is your night, after all. Go and enjoy yourself for a change."

. . .

Timpani was hovering through the crowd, trying to make short conversation with people in an effort to look natural. Most people would only give her a few moments and then disappear. She had yet to see anything of Blumiere all night.

"Are you enjoying yourself, my lady?"

She turned around and jumped slightly. A man was standing behind her, a wide grin on his face and his eyes staring straight into hers. His face was covered by a black and white mask, but it seemed to move along with his real mouth and eyes. He was dressed in a black tuxedo, matching many of the guests and the common black attire, but he also wore a dark purple shirt and yellow bow tie. She couldn't make eye contact with him for more than a few moments; his gaze made her uncomfortable, the smile making it even more so.

"Yes, a wonderful time."

"Ah ha ha! Wonderful!" He shook her hand. "My name is...Damon. I'm a friend of a friend of a friend of the prince's. And you are?"

"Rachel," Timpani automatically replied. In the back of her mind, she noticed the slight pause before he told her his name. Almost like she had given the two women when she had first arrived...

"Such a lovely name. Only befitting of such a beautiful lady."

"Damon is a wonderful name as well," she replied. He smiled wider.

"I couldn't help but notice you seem a bit startled, like a small cat surrounded by much larger canines. Your first time in the castle, perhaps?"

"Yes," Timpani replied. "It's a lot to take in.."

"I hope you are enjoying yourself so far," 'Damon' said. He grasped her shoulder.

"I am," she said, reaching for his hand and pushing it away. He smiled, then adjusted his glove. Timpani glanced at his hand and felt her heart skip. A faint smudge of blue was visible on his palm.

"I hope you continue to have a wonderful time," He said, the same eerie grin on his face. He bowed. "Alas, I must be gone."

"Goodbye," Timpani curtly responded. He straightened back up.

"Ciao," He waved with his smudged palm, then left.

As soon as he was gone, Timpani darted off down the hallway where she found the mirror before. She carefully examined how the paint was holding up. Other than the spot where he had touched her, it seemed okay. That small spot was slightly faded, but she prayed it wouldn't draw attention.

. . .

All of the guests were pulling Blumiere this way and that, offering him a happy birthday, pausing to try and hold conversation. After a while he grew tired of it all and began only giving them a nod and a thank you in response. He always found these celebrations tedious, but this year it felt even more so.

He was turning to escape from the ballroom when he accidentally knocked a girl down.

"I'm terribly sorry," He said, quickly grabbing her hand and helping her to her feet. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," The girl responded, dusting herself off. When she looked up, Blumiere gasped.

_Those eyes..._

"What are you doing?!" He said, eyes wide. "Are you insane?"

"Perhaps a little," Timpani said. She smiled. "How are you this evening, Blumiere?"

He looked around, but nobody seemed to be paying any attention. "Timpani, what are you doing here?"

"Since you didn't formally invite me," She said, "I wanted to come meet you a bit sooner then we had planned."

"What are you even wearing?" Blumiere said, gesturing at her outfit. Timpani looked down at herself.

"It seems to be working quite well."

Blumiere shook his head. "This is insane," he murmured. "What if someone figured out? Timpani, please go home, I don't want anything to happen to-"

"Relax," She said. "I'm fine. I've been here for a while now and nothing bad has happened." He didn't seem convinced. "Honestly."

Blumiere shook his head. "This is ridiculous," he said, but Timpani saw he was fighting a smile. He took her hand.

"Follow me."

He led her down the hallway, past the mirror, and out the door. Outside was a large garden, a path leading into a thick tangle of plants and flowers. Blumiere took her hand and walked her through the labyrinth, the two of them walking into the center of the path, where a large fountain was surrounded by benches. Water bubbled down, and from here they could not hear anything from the party. Blumiere took a seat in front of the fountain, and Timpani sat next to him.

"It's a beautiful night," She commented. He smiled at her.

"I can think of something more beautiful," Blumiere said. Underneath the layer of paint, Timpani's cheeks warmed. "I think I prefer your other look better than this one," He said, gently stroking her cheek.

She was too mesmerized by his touch, the closeness of his face to hers, that she forgot to worry about her disguise being smudged. Screw the disguise.

"Happy birthday," She murmured, closing the distance between them.

. . .

"I've been- oh."

The two lovers suddenly jumped apart, both gazing into the eyes of Blumiere's father. His son looked completely petrified, Xavier noted. The girl he was with looked just as scared. Pretty enough girl, he thought to himself. Her eyes were making his stomach churn, but she was nice enough otherwise.

He gave a slight smile.

"I can see now would be a bad time?"

Blumiere opened his mouth to speak, then closed it again. Xavier laughed.

"I was going to ask if you were planning on returning anytime soon."

"Uh," Blumiere mumbled, looking from the girl to Xavier. "Yeah, yeah. A moment, please."

"Of course," Xavier said.

He wondered, though...

. . .

Timpani had left quickly after his father had interrupted the two of them, and Blumiere was grateful. The rest of the party passed quickly, and he was in his room preparing to 'retire' for the evening, when he heard a knocking at the door.

"Come in," He said.

It was Xavier. "Hello, Blumiere."

"Um. Hello, father."

"I hope you enjoyed the celebration," He said. Blumiere shifted nervously. His father looked like he had something to tell him.

Oh no, he thought, he's found out. He figured it out. Oh no. He wondered what he would do. Would he harm Timpani? Ohh no. He wondered how quickly Xavier could get to her, if he could run ahead of him and warn her...

"Yes, I have a marvelous time," He said. "Is something on your mind?"

"Actually, there is," Xavier said. He looked a bit uneasy. "Blumiere...ah, how do I begin this."

_Oh no, he's found out, he found out, oh no, no. no-_

"You see, when I found you and that...er, girl earlier, I realized that I had never spoken to you about...about..."

Oh no. Oh Grambi. No. He didn't find out. This was an entirely different subject. Oh no.

"Well, when a man has feelings for a woman, he looks for ways to-"

"Oh my god, father, I know how children are made. Yes, I am being...safe. Yes, I know what...ehhh, I know what _it_ is."

"Well, then," Xavier said. He looked as relieved as Blumiere felt. "Then I see I don't need to have this discussion here."

"No, I'll be fine," He said. Xavier turned to leave.

"You know, though, Blumiere, I couldn't help but notice your friend looked a little...pink in the face, should we say?"


End file.
